Stereotype-plate.



UNIT STATES "PATENT FFICIL.

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNOR 'I'o THE Goss PRINTING PRESS COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

STEREOTYPE-PLATE.

Application filed May 23, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ROBERT T. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stereotype-Plates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to stereotype-plates for rotary printing presses and has more particularly to do with plates designed to be prepared for the press after casting by passage through a suitable finishing machine. As is well known, such plates, after being cast, must be beveled at their ends to receive the clamps by which they are secured on the press, and finishing machines as heretofore constructed are designed to do that work. Such plates when Cast are also provided with a riser or tail-piece, which is usually severed while the plate is being finished, the riser end of the plate being at the same time beveled. lVhen the plate is placed in the` finishing machine it is necessary that means be provided for stopping it in proper relation with the end trimming cutters, after which it is clamped or locked in place so that it will be held irmly while its ends are being beveled and the internal ribs are being shaved, and considerable difficulty has heretofore been experienced in arranging the stops so that they would not interfere with the proper beveling of the plate ends.

My present invention has for its Object to provide a new and improved stereotypeplate so constructed that the portions which are engaged by the stops do not have to be beveled, and consequently interference. of the stops with the beveling of the ends of the plate is avoided.

I accomplish this Object as illustrated in the drawings and as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure l illustrates one form of my improved plate with the tail-piece attached, showing the form in which the plate is cast; and Figs.

2 and 3 are similar views showing different,

ways in which the same object may be accomplished.

In the plate shown in Fig. l, l is the plate proper, and 5 the tail-piece or riser. As therein shown, the plate is cast with a riser which does not subtend quite as great an Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Sera1No.769,S91.

arc as the plate proper, so that shoulders 6 are formed at the riser end of the plate adjacent to the ends of what constitutes the beveled end portion of the plate after the riser is severed from it. rlhe inner margin of the beveled portion is indicated by a dotted line on Fig. l. lvl/hen the riser is severed, the severed end then presents the same appearance as that shown at the lefthand end of the plate illustrated in Fig. 2 gthat is to say, the beveled portion of the end does not subtend as great an are as the plate proper, so that notches are formed in the end of the plate to receive the stops. It will be noted that in the construction shown in Fig. l the stops are at the following end of the plate instead ot' the leading end. lVhen the plate is moved into the finishing machine its side lmargins rest upon the usual ledges or supports, and after the plate proper has been inserted in the finishing machine it is drawn back slightly to bring the shoulders 6 against the stops and is then clamped in position. It will be obvious that the cutter which severs the riser from the plate does not operate upon that part of the plate which is engaged by the stops and therefore its operation is not interfered with.

In Fig. l I have illustrated in dotted lines a form of stop which may be employed in connection with the type of the plate therein shown. In said figure, ll indicates a portion of one of the usual ledges or supports on which the side margins of the plate rest as it is moved into the finishing machine. 12 indicates a stop which projects upwardly at the rear end of one of the ledges 11, high enough to engage the shoulder formed by cutting away the plate. Said stop may be secured to the ledge l1 by a spring-plate 13 which is secured adjacent to one end thereof against the under side of the ledge 1l, as shown. IThis is merely a suggested form of stop, as my invention contemplates the use of any suitable form of stop.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, the plate is designed to be engaged by the stops at its leading end, and therefore the plate is cast with notches 7 at its ends near its side margins, said notches lying opposite the ends of the beveled portion 8 of said plate, and in this construction the tail-piece may be coextensive in width with the plate proper and be severed in the ordinary way. In

' shown) may be employed in connection with Fig. 2 I have also shown in dotted lines a part of one of the ledges 13, with a stop lll at the forward end thereof adapted to engage the leading end of the stereotype plate. rlhis stop may be secured to the ledge 13 by aspring-plate 15 in the same way as that shown in Fig. 1.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the stop is valso intended to engage the leading end of the plate, but instead of providing notches Y at the 'ends of the beveled portion 8 I provide a notch 9 intermediate of the beveled portion 10. In this figure I have shown a pivoted stop 16 in the form of a bellcrank pivoted at 17. If desired, a spring (not the horizontal arm 18 of saidv stop to normally hold the operative portion of the stop in its upright position. The' forms of stops shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are also merely suggested, as .any other suitable stops may be used.

It will be observed that with each of the plates shown and described ythe end cutter does not trim or bevel any portion of the plate that is engaged by the stop or stops, or', to put the matter in another way, the stop or stops engage a portion of the plate which does not have to betrimmed, and this constitutes the vsalient feature of my present invention.

with `the tail-piece, as is the case in some prior constructions, and the part of the plate engaged by the stop does not project beyond the inner surface of the plate, which would be objectionable because it would interfere with the fitting of theplate on the press.

It will be understood that the term cut away, as used in the claims, has reference to the ultimate condition of the plate rather than to the manner in which the recess or notch which receives the stop is formed.

'Ihat which I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters- Patent, is,.-

1. A stereotype-plate for printing presses having a beveled -end which forms a longitudinal extension thereof, a portion of the end of the plate adjacent to the beveled portion and in line therewith beingcut away to receive a stop.

2. A stereotype-plate for printing presses having beveled ends which form longitudinal extensions thereof, a portionnofl one of the beveled ends being cut away to receive a stop.,

ROBERT T. Joiiasfrou.

Vitnesses:

JOHN L. JACKSON, y WV. H. DE BUsK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

